going over the fiscal cliff is serious business. i am here seriously trying to reresolve it. >>reporter: a lot of people wonder if speaker boehner is trying to show he is fighting against some of the tax changes and he will come along to a deal. vice president biden went to a costco in washington, today, proclaimed himself optimistic there will be a deal and bought a big screen tv and and an apple pie. >>shepard: you mention speaker boehner and the fact is there is a group if his party, the conservative part that doesn't want him to act like he is moving and that is who he is talking to today? >>reporter: they want him to dig in. they want him to completely resist essentially going back to the old clinton administration tax rates of 39.6 percent on the top level. the bottom line when you ask about whether there is any progress there are signs of progress from the white house briefing and carney today said the president said in this phone call to speaker boehner, any deal has to have the rates going up but in the end, carney said it doesn't necessarily, he didn't say this dire